Gold Class Rich Leather Spray and Perforated Leather

[Lanc1988]

I'm going to pick up some gold class rich leather spray next time im at walmart and I was wondering if it is safe to spray it on perforated leather seats and rub it in or if I should spray it on an applicator pad and rub it on the seats.

Thanks!

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Gold Class Rich Leather Spray and Perforated Leather

Spray it onto your applicator. It is a bugger to remove from the perforations.

[Murr1525]

Re: Gold Class Rich Leather Spray and Perforated Leather

The sprays will be better than the lotion. The new Gel I think is for perforated leather also, but read the bottle to see.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Gold Class Rich Leather Spray and Perforated Leather

The new gel won't dry white in the perforations or in stitching, etc. This was often an issue with the older lotion so we always recommended using the spray when dealing with this sort of surface, but we still recommended spraying onto an applicator or folded towel first. The new gel solves this issue for those who prefer a lotion/gel over a spray.

[tracerit]

Re: Gold Class Rich Leather Spray and Perforated Leather

Is the new bottle with the Pump the gel version? Is it better than the lotion or just the same but with a pump?

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Gold Class Rich Leather Spray and Perforated Leather

The new bottle with the pump is the gel, but it's not the same as the lotion version. The gel product was developed for those who prefer not to use a spray but don't want a product that can dry white in perforations, along stitching, etc. The gel is a premium product that addresses those potential issues.

[Mary S]

Re: Gold Class Rich Leather Spray and Perforated Leather

Michael, are the leather products that Meguiar's made formulated mainly for the urethane-coated leathers that are found in most cars today, or are they formulated kind of dual-duty for the coated and noncoated type that might be found in a classic car? Do they have small enough molecules (like a water-based product) that they can penetrate the pores of the urethane to moisturize the leather, or do you need to use a water-based product first to hydrate the leather?

[toyopl]

Re: Gold Class Rich Leather Spray and Perforated Leather

I remember reading that the leather wipes are good for perforated leather and this is what I got. Walmart had a sale on the new 2010 ones for $3.87 I believe

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Gold Class Rich Leather Spray and Perforated Leather

Michael, are the leather products that Meguiar's made formulated mainly for the urethane-coated leathers that are found in most cars today, or are they formulated kind of dual-duty for the coated and noncoated type that might be found in a classic car? Do they have small enough molecules (like a water-based product) that they can penetrate the pores of the urethane to moisturize the leather, or do you need to use a water-based product first to hydrate the leather?

Great questions, Mary, and another topic that is often misunderstood.

Yes, leather seating in cars is coated. It almost has to be as uncoated leather is highly susceptible to staining and discoloring. Think about a baseball glove, which is made of a natural, uncoated leather - add some conditioner to it and it darkens noticeably. Let you hand sweat in it for a while and it darkens noticeably. Now imagine the leather in your car behaving like this - you would not be happy. Wear a pair of shorts on a hot summer day and the seat would be "ruined" in most people's minds. Cleaning and maintaining would be a nightmare. So auto companies and their leather suppliers have come up with various coatings.

This is where it gets interesting, though. We often see people comment on these coatings as being merely a clear coat that basically seals the leather, so you don't need to do anything other than wipe it down with warm water. But it really isn't that simple. In fact, these coatings can be quite complex. After all, don't quality leather seats feel like leather? Sure they do, and that's because great lengths have been taken to make the coatings feel like leather. And look at the compression and stretching a leather seat goes through every time you sit on it. The coating has to move along with it, and not crack or split. This coating also has tiny fissures, cracks, pores, etc in it and allow the leather beneath it to breathe. This exposes the leather to the drying effects of UV and even oxygen, but it also allows you to be able to treat the leather.

Harsh cleaners can break down this coating and cause it to fail. You end up with what look like a stain, but it's really missing coating in the area that was aggressively scrubbed (assume a terry towel and a non diluted household cleaner was used). But a cleaner and/or conditioner designed for use on leather will safely clean into those fissures, cracks, pores, etc and lift the dirt out plus it will get down in there and feed the leather much in the same way a moisturizer does for you skin. It is a good idea to use a terry or microfiber applicator when cleaning/dressing leather, but you never want to scrub vigorously. APC diluted 10:1 is safe too as that dilution ration brings the pH level waaaay down, making it suitable for this application.

All of Meguiar's leather cleaner/conditioners are water based products, designed to be able to penetrate these coatings and properly condition the leather below. In fact, since the coatings are designed to mimic leather, these products also help to keep the coating from drying out and cracking. And some of these coatings are highly specialized, with their actual composition being closely guarded secrets. But they are all essentially designed to mimic the look and feel of the leather they are designed to protect in the first place.

[Mary S]

Re: Gold Class Rich Leather Spray and Perforated Leather

Thanks for the explanation, Michael! Since I have the perforated leather I am going to look for the new gel product.